Apparatus and method for employing ground leakage current to power a multimode switch

A multimode switch, comprising:

• an actuator, configured to indicate a state responsive to a change in actuation;
• a line voltage switch, coupled to a line voltage and a device;
• a switch controller, configured to direct said line voltage switch to provide said line voltage to, and subsequently remove line voltage from, said device, and configured to receive first identifying information and a functional group designation for said device, and configured to thereafter control said device according to said first identifying information and said functional group designation;
• and
• a ground leakage power supply, coupled to an AC hot line and to an earth ground, configured to generate a regulated voltage to power said switch controller without requiring connection to an AC neutral line, while limiting ground leakage current to said earth ground to a prescribed leakage value.

A multimode switch method, comprising:

• coupling a line voltage switch to a line voltage and to a device;
• via a switch controller, directing the line voltage switch to provide the line voltage to, and subsequently remove line voltage from, the device;
• receiving first identifying information and a functional group designation for the device;
• and thereafter controlling the device according to the first identifying information and the functional group designation;
• and
• coupling a ground leakage power supply to an AC hot line and to an earth ground and generating a regulated voltage to power the switch controller without requiring connection to an AC neutral line, while limiting ground leakage current to the earth ground to a prescribed leakage value.